JP2021044022A - Electronic pen and position detection system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electronic pen to which an extended function can be easily added, and which is made neither worse in usability nor troublesome in power supply management.SOLUTION: An extension part 12 mounted with a second position indication part and a third position indication part is connected to an electronic pen body part 11 which realizes an electronic pen function, through a connector jack 11J and a connector plug 12P. The electronic pen body part 11 is mounted with a rechargeable battery 117, and a control part 113 of the electronic pen body part 11 properly controls power supply from the battery 117 to the extension part 12 according to a state of the battery 117 etc. A first operation part can alternate which of the second position indication part and third position indication part functions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a position detection system including an electronic pen as a position indicator for instructing a position with respect to a position detection circuit, and a device including the electronic pen and the position detection circuit.

Many information terminals such as tablet PCs (Personal Computers) equipped with touch panels are provided. A touch panel is an electronic component that combines a display device such as a liquid crystal display and a position detection circuit that uses a touch sensor (coordinate detection sensor), and enables various operation inputs by touch operation with the user's finger or the like. There is. When it is necessary to perform more detailed operation input, an electronic pen as a dedicated position indicator is often used. Further, as an input device of a personal computer, a device called a so-called digitizer or the like, which is composed of a board having a built-in touch sensor for detecting a position and an electronic pen for specifying a position, is also widely used.

Then, at conferences and seminars, the necessary information should be displayed on the screen using an information terminal and a projector that enable easy and quick input of information by using an input device using touch sensor technology. Is being done. As a result, through the information terminal and the projector, it is possible to easily display the information added on the spot using the materials prepared in advance or the electronic pen on the screen and share it with all the participants of the conference or seminar. Furthermore, for example, a laser pointer function is added to the electronic pen as an extended function, and information such as information input to an information terminal using the electronic pen and projected on the screen is pointed out and explained using the laser pointer function. And so on.

To add an extended function such as a laser pointer function to the electronic pen, the extended function part is unitized without changing the configuration of the electronic pen part, and this is the rear end part of the electronic pen (opposite to the core body). It is often realized by attaching it to the side end). That is, the extended function part is configured as a part of a housing (separate unit) separate from the electronic pen, and by attaching this to the electronic pen, the extended function can be easily added to the electronic pen. In addition, there is a technique disclosed in the US patent documents shown in Patent Documents 1 to 3 as a technique for mounting an extended function such as a laser pointer on an electronic pen.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0028635 U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0002422 U.S. Pat. No. 7,161578

The electronic pen has a signal oscillation type in which a signal for position detection is oscillated and transmitted by an oscillation circuit mounted on the electronic pen, and a resonance circuit mounted on the electronic pen resonates with an external magnetic field from the position detection circuit. There is a resonance type that reflects the signal for position detection. In the case of a resonance type electronic pen, the driving power can be stored inside the electronic pen by the resonance action on the external magnetic field. On the other hand, in the case of a signal oscillation type electronic pen, it is necessary to provide a power source for driving an oscillator or the like inside the electronic pen.

In addition, it is necessary to provide a power supply in the unit of the extended function attached to the electronic pen. For example, when the extended function is a laser pointer, a relatively large amount of electric power is required to drive the semiconductor laser, and it is necessary to mount a power source such as a primary battery or a secondary battery. However, when the power supply is provided in the unit of the extended function provided at the rear end of the electronic pen, the center of gravity is located on the rear end side of the electronic pen, and the force for writing with respect to the core of the electronic pen May not be transmitted properly and it may be difficult to write.

Further, in the case of a signal oscillation type electronic pen, a power supply on the electronic pen side and a power supply on the expansion unit side are required. For this reason, when the power supply on the electronic pen side is exhausted, the extended function can be used but the electronic pen function cannot be used, and the user always uses the power supply on the electronic pen side and the power supply on the extended function side. You have to manage both of them. Further, when a primary battery is used as a power source, the configuration of the electronic pen and the expansion unit may be restricted because the primary battery must be a replaceable configuration.

Further, although the expansion unit is provided with a switch for operation, since the electronic pen is a rod-shaped housing, when the switch is operated, it is operated in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod-shaped electronic pen. Pressing pressure is applied. In this case, there is a concern that the connection portion between the electronic pen and the expansion unit will be overloaded and the connection portion will be easily damaged.

In view of the above, the present invention can easily add an extended function to the electronic pen as a position indicator, does not impair usability, and makes power management troublesome. The purpose is to prevent it and to protect the connection between the electronic pen and the expansion unit.

In order to solve the above problems, the electronic pen of the invention according to claim 1 is
A first position indicator that sends a signal to the position detection sensor,
Control unit and
The first connector part and
A power supply unit that can be charged from an external power supply through the first connector unit,
With the electronic pen body that has
A second position indicating unit for instructing the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor, and
A third position indicating unit for instructing the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor by a method different from that of the second position indicating unit.
An extension with a second connector and
A first operation unit that is provided so as to be operated in a direction intersecting the axial direction and accepts an operation by the user, and a first operation unit.
With
The electronic pen main body portion and the expansion portion are detachable through the first connector portion and the second connector portion.
When the electronic pen main body and the expansion are connected, power can be supplied from the power supply of the electronic pen main body to the expansion.
The control unit of the electronic pen main body monitors at least one of the voltage, current, and remaining amount of the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, and the power supply unit functions as an electronic pen of the electronic pen main body. If it is determined that the tablet is not in a maintainable state for a predetermined time, the power supply to the expansion unit is controlled so as not to be supplied.
The first operating unit is characterized in that it receives a switching instruction as to which of the second position indicating unit and the third position indicating unit is to function.

According to the electronic pen of the invention according to claim 1, the electronic pen main body portion having the first position indicating portion and the extension portion having the second position indicating portion and the third position indicating portion are electronic. It is configured to be removable through the first connector part of the pen body part and the second connector part of the extension part. The first position indicating unit of the electronic pen main body transmits a signal to a position detecting sensor located near the user, so to speak, instructing the position of a proximity target.

On the other hand, the second position indicating unit and the third position indicating unit of the expansion unit are for instructing the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detecting sensor, for example, the position detecting sensor. It indicates the position of a predetermined area on the screen farther away, so to speak, the position of a distant object. The first operation unit receives an input of a switching instruction as to which of the second position instruction unit and the third position instruction unit is to function. As a result, the instruction from the switched (selected) position indicating unit of the second position indicating unit and the third position indicating unit can be transmitted, and the position of the distant target can be instructed. In this way, an extension portion that indicates the position of the distant object can be easily added to the electronic pen main body portion that indicates the position of the near object.

The power supply unit is provided only in the electronic pen main body unit. Therefore, since the power supply unit is not located on the rear end side of the electronic pen main body, the center of gravity of the electronic pen main body can be lowered and the usability is not deteriorated. Further, the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body can be charged from an external power source through the first connector unit. Then, when the electronic pen main body and the expansion are connected through the first connector and the second connector, power can be supplied from the power supply of the electronic pen main body to the expansion. ing. In this case, the control unit of the electronic pen main body controls the power supply from the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body to the expansion unit. Specifically, the control unit of the electronic pen main body monitors at least one of the voltage, current, and remaining amount of the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, and this power supply unit functions as the electronic pen of the electronic pen main body. If it is determined that the tablet is not in a maintainable state for a predetermined time, the power supply to the expansion unit is controlled so as not to be supplied. As a result, the management of the power supply in the electronic pen does not become troublesome.

Further, the electronic pen of the invention according to claim 2 is
A first position indicator that sends a signal to the position detection sensor,
Control unit and
The first connector part, which has a concave structure, and
A tubular portion on which the first connector portion is formed, a power supply portion that can be charged from an external power source through the first connector portion, and a power supply unit.
With the electronic pen body that has
A second position indicating unit for instructing the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor, and
A third position indicating unit for instructing the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor by a method different from that of the second position indicating unit.
A second connector part with a convex part and
An extension portion having a wall-shaped portion surrounding the second connector portion and
A first operation unit that is provided so as to be operated in a direction intersecting the axial direction and accepts an operation by the user, and a first operation unit.
With
The electronic pen main body portion and the expansion portion are detachable through the first connector portion and the second connector portion.
When the first connector portion and the second connector portion are connected, the tubular portion and the wall-shaped portion are fitted to form the first connector portion and the second connector portion. Cover and protect
When the electronic pen main body and the expansion are connected, power can be supplied from the power supply of the electronic pen main body to the expansion.
The control unit of the electronic pen main body monitors at least one of the voltage, current, and remaining amount of the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, and the power supply unit functions as an electronic pen of the electronic pen main body. If it is determined that the tablet is not in a maintainable state for a predetermined time, the power supply to the expansion unit is controlled so as not to be supplied.
The first operating unit is characterized in that it receives a switching instruction as to which of the second position indicating unit and the third position indicating unit is to function.

According to the electronic pen of the invention according to claim 2, the basic configuration is the same as that of the electronic pen according to claim 1. In the case of the electronic pen according to claim 2, the first connector of the electronic pen main body has a concave structure, and therefore the electronic pen main body has a tubular shape in which the first connector is formed. It is configured to have a part. On the other hand, the second connector of the expansion portion is configured to have a convex portion, and is configured to include a wall-shaped portion surrounding the second connector at a predetermined distance from the second connector. Then, the second connector having the convex portion is inserted into the first connector having the concave configuration, and the electronic pen main body portion and the expansion portion are connected to each other.

In this case, the tubular portion on which the first connector is formed is thick so that the first connector is not easily damaged. Then, when the second connector is inserted into the first connector and connected, the tubular portion of the electronic pen main body is covered with the wall-shaped portion of the expansion portion, and the two are firmly fitted to each other. That is, the thick tubular portion of the electronic pen main body is fitted into the recessed portion between the second connector of the expansion portion and the wall-shaped portion, and the first connector and the second connector are connected. In this state, the electronic pen main body and the expansion part are further connected. In this state, the tubular portion of the electronic pen main body portion and the wall-shaped portion of the expansion portion cover the first connector and the second connector in the connected state.

In this way, the first connector of the electronic pen main body and the second connector of the expansion portion form the first fitting portion, and the tubular portion of the electronic pen main body and the wall-shaped portion of the expansion portion are formed. A second fitting portion is formed, and two fitting portions are formed. Then, the second fitting portion including the tubular portion of the electronic pen main body portion and the wall-shaped portion of the expansion portion is the first fitting portion composed of the first connector and the second connector in the connected state. It will be a configuration that strongly protects. Therefore, even if the operation unit provided in the expansion unit is operated, a large load is not applied to the first connector and the second connector in the connected state, and the first and second connector portions are damaged. There is no such thing. Moreover, the connection state between the electronic pen main body and the expansion can be maintained firmly and stably.

According to the electronic pen of the present invention, an extended function can be easily added. Moreover, it does not impair usability. Moreover, the management of the power supply is not troublesome.

Further, even if the first operation unit or the like is operated, stress on the first connector portion and the second connector portion in the connected state is avoided, and the first connector portion and the second connector in the connected state are avoided. Can properly protect the part.

It is a figure for demonstrating the appearance of the electronic pen of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the usage mode of the electronic pen of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the structural example of the electronic pen of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the configuration example of the position detection circuit of a capacitance type. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of power supply control to an extension part. It is a figure for demonstrating the usage mode of the electronic pen of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the structural example of the electronic pen of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the configuration example of the personal computer (PC) which comprises the position detection system, and the projector together with the electronic pen of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the cooperation process of the electronic pen and a personal computer (PC) constituting the position detection system of the 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the electronic pen and position detection system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
[Appearance of electronic pen 1]
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the appearance of the electronic pen 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1A, the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment includes an electronic pen main body portion 11 and an expansion portion 12. The electronic pen main body 11 includes a core 111, and realizes a signal oscillation type electronic pen function of transmitting a signal oscillated in the electronic pen main body 11 from the core 111. For example, capacitance. It is used for a coupling type position detection circuit. The expansion unit 12 realizes a function as a laser pointer.

As shown in FIG. 1B, a connector jack 11J is provided on the rear end side of the electronic pen main body 11 (the end opposite to the core 111). That is, as shown in FIG. 1 (D), a tubular portion 11T is provided on the rear end side of the electronic pen main body portion 11, and a connector jack 11J having a concave portion in the central portion of the tubular portion 11T. Is formed. The tubular portion 11T on which the connector jack 11J is formed is thick so that the connector jack 11J will not be damaged even when the connector plug is inserted into the connector jack 11J.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1C, a connector plug 12P is provided at the end of the expansion portion 12 on the side facing the electronic pen main body portion 11. The connector jack 11J of the electronic pen main body 11 is fitted by inserting the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12. That is, as shown in FIG. 1 (E), a connector plug 12P having a convex portion is provided at an end portion of the expansion portion 12 on the side facing the electronic pen main body portion 11. Then, a predetermined distance is opened from the connector plug 12P, and a circular wall-shaped portion 12W is provided around the connector plug 12P. As shown in FIGS. 1A, 1C, and 1E, the wall-shaped portion 12W has a certain thickness. Then, the outer circumference of the wall-shaped portion 12W and the outer circumference of the electronic pen main body portion 11 are aligned with each other. Further, the inner circumference of the wall-shaped portion 12W is slightly larger than the outer circumference of the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body portion 11.

Since it has such a configuration, the connector plug 12P of the expansion unit 12 can be inserted into the connector jack 11J of the electronic pen body 11 to electrically connect the electronic pen body 11 and the expansion unit 12. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1C and 1E, there is a recess between the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12 and the wall-shaped portion 12W into which the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body 11 is fitted. It has become. Therefore, when the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12 is inserted into the connector jack 11J of the electronic pen main body 11, the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body 11 becomes the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12 and the wall-shaped portion 12W. It fits in between. As a result, the connection state between the electronic pen main body 11 and the expansion 12 can be maintained more firmly and stably.

In this way, the connector jack 11J of the electronic pen main body 11 and the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12 form the first fitting portion. Further, the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body portion 11 and the wall-shaped portion 12W of the expansion portion 12 form a second fitting portion. Therefore, when the electronic pen main body 11 and the expansion portion 12 are connected, the tubular shape of the electronic pen main body 11 is formed around the connector jack 11J of the electronic pen main body 11 and the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12 in the connected state. The structure is such that the portion 11T and the wall-shaped portion 12W of the expansion portion 12 are covered.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body 11 and the wall-shaped portion 12W of the expansion portion 12 have predetermined heights (lengths along the axial direction of the electronic pen 1). ing. Therefore, both the connector jack 11J of the electronic pen main body 11 and the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12 in a state where the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body 11 and the wall-shaped portion 12W of the expansion portion 12 are connected to each other. It will be a configuration that strongly protects. Further, since the electronic pen main body portion 11 and the expansion portion 12 are connected by the first and second fitting portions, the connected state between the two can be maintained firmly and stably.

In this embodiment, the connector jack 11J of the electronic pen main body 11 and the connector plug 12P of the extension 12 are, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) standards. Through the USB standard connector, not only data can be sent and received, but also power can be sent and received.

In this way, the electronic pen main body portion 11 and the expansion portion 12 are made detachable through the connector jack (first connector portion) 11J and the connector plug (second connector portion) 12P. That is, the expansion portion 12 can be easily attached (connected) to or detached from the electronic pen main body portion 11. When the electronic pen main body 11 and the expansion portion 12 are connected through the connector jack 11J and the connector plug 12P, power can be supplied from the electronic pen main body 11 to the expansion portion 12. Further, as will be described later, a battery (secondary battery) is mounted on the electronic pen main body 11, and the battery can be charged by receiving power from the outside through the connector jack 11J.

Further, on the side surface of the electronic pen main body 11, switch operation units (operation buttons) 115a and 116a for side switches are provided. Further, on the side surface of the expansion unit 12, a switch operation unit (operation button) 123a for turning on / off the irradiation of laser light is provided.

Then, as described above, when the connector jack 11J of the electronic pen main body 11 and the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12 are connected, these are connected to the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body 11 and the wall-shaped portion of the expansion portion 12. It is designed to cover 12W. Therefore, even if the switch operation unit 123a for the on / off switch of laser light irradiation is pressed and a force in the direction intersecting the axial direction of the electronic pen 1 is applied to the electronic pen 1, the electronic pen main body 11 The connector jack 11J and the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12 are firmly protected by the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body portion 11 and the wall-shaped portion 12W of the expansion portion 12.

Therefore, the electronic pen main body 11 and the expansion portion 12 are not easily separated from each other, and the connector jack 11J of the electronic pen main body 11 and the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12 in the connected state are damaged. It does not happen.

As shown in FIGS. 1B and 1D, protrusions Pj1, Pj2, and Pj3 are provided on the side wall (side surface) of the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body 11. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1C and 1E, the inner wall (inner surface) of the wall-shaped portion 12W of the expansion portion 12 is located at a position corresponding to the positions of the protrusions Pj1, Pj2, and Pj3 of the tubular portion 11T. , Grooves Gr1, Gr2, Gr3 corresponding to the protrusions Pj1, Pj2, Pj3 are provided.

These protrusions Pj1, Pj2, Pj3 of the tubular portion 11T and the grooves Gr1, Gr2, Gr3 of the wall-shaped portion can regulate the positions of both when connecting the electronic pen main body portion 11 and the expansion portion 12. .. The protrusions Pj1, Pj2, Pj3 of the tubular portion 11T and the grooves Gr1, Gr2, Gr3 of the wall-shaped portion allow the electronic pen main body portion 11 and the expansion portion 12 to always be connected only at a fixed position. As a result, the connector jack 11J and the connector plug 12P are not forcibly connected from the opposite direction and damaged.

Further, by fitting the protrusions Pj1, Pj2, Pj3 of the tubular portion 11T and the grooves Gr1, Gr2, Gr3 of the wall-shaped portion 12W, the electronic pen main body portion 11 and the expansion portion 12 stop the axial center. Prevents it from rotating in different directions. That is, the protrusions Pj1, Pj2, Pj3 of the tubular portion 11T and the grooves Gr1, Gr2, Gr3 of the wall-shaped portion form a third fitting portion. Due to the function of the third fitting portion, when an external force that rotates in different directions about the axis is applied to the electronic pen main body portion 11 and the expansion portion 12, this is applied. It prevents stress from being transmitted to the connected connector jack 11J and the connector plug 12P, and prevents the connector jack 11J and the connector plug 12P from twisting and causing damage or failure.

As described above, in the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment, the connection portion between the electronic pen main body portion 11 and the expansion portion 12 of the electronic pen 1 is provided with a first fitting portion, a second fitting portion, and a second fitting portion. The mode is such that three fitting portions with the third fitting portion are configured. As a result, the electronic pen main body 11 and the expansion 12 of the electronic pen 1 are firmly and stably connected to each other without causing any trouble such as breakage.

In this embodiment, the tubular portion 11T is provided with three protrusions Pj1, Pj2, and Pj3, and the wall-shaped portion 12W is provided with three grooves Gr1, Gr2, and Gr3, but the present invention is not limited to this. .. The tubular portion 11T and the wall-shaped portion 12W may be provided with one or more protrusions and grooves corresponding to each other.

[Usage of electronic pen 1]
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a usage mode of the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment. In FIG. 2, the PC (Personal Computer) 2 is equipped with an electrostatically coupled touch panel 2TP. The projector 3 receives the video data supplied from the PC 2 and projects the video corresponding to the video data on the screen 4. Therefore, by moving the core body 111 of the electronic pen main body 11 of the electronic pen 1 in contact with the touch panel 2TP of the PC 2, information such as figures, pictures, characters, and symbols can be input to the PC 2. Then, by supplying information such as figures, pictures, characters, and symbols input to the PC 2 to the projector 3 as video data, the video can be projected onto the screen 4 through the projector 3 according to the video data.

Then, it is desired to point to a predetermined position of the image projected on the screen 4. In this case, as indicated by the arrow MK1 in FIG. 2, the electronic pen 1 is separated from the touch panel 2TP of the PC2, and the expansion portion 12 located on the side opposite to the core body 111 is directed toward the screen 4. Then, when the switch operation unit 123a is pressed, the laser beam LZ is irradiated from the expansion unit 12 toward the screen 4. As a result, the position P on the screen 4 can be pointed by the laser beam LZ emitted from the expansion unit 12. By changing the direction of the expansion unit 12, the laser light LZ emitted from the expansion unit 12 can point to an arbitrary position of the screen 4.

In this way, by using the electronic pen 1, it is possible to seamlessly perform the input of information to the PC 2 by the electronic pen function and the operation of pointing the predetermined position of the image displayed on the screen 4 by the laser beam LZ. it can. As a result, the explanation at the meeting or the meeting can be made easy to understand, and the effect of the meeting or the meeting can be increased.

As described above, the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment is provided with an electronic pen function and a laser pointer function by connecting the expansion portion 12 to the electronic pen main body portion 11.

[Configuration example of electronic pen 1]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of the electronic pen 1 according to the first embodiment. As described above, the connector jack 11J provided at the rear end of the electronic pen main body 11 is connected by inserting the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12, and the electronic pen function and the laser pointer function are connected. An electronic pen 1 including the above is configured. In this case, the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body 11 and the wall-shaped portion 12W of the expansion portion 12 are fitted to strengthen the connection between the electronic pen main body 11 and the expansion portion 12, and the connector jack 11J And the connector plug 12P can also be firmly protected.

First, the expansion unit 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the expansion unit 12 includes a semiconductor laser 121, a power switch 122, a switch circuit 123, and a switch operation unit 123a. The semiconductor laser 121 is an element in which a current is passed through a semiconductor to oscillate the laser, and the mechanism of light emission is the same as that of an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The power switch 122 switches between supply and non-supply of the power supplied from the electronic pen main body 11 described later to the semiconductor laser 121.

The switch circuit 123 supplies an on signal to the power switch 122 when the switch operation unit 123a is pressed by the user. The switch circuit 123 does not supply an on signal to the power switch 122 when the switch operation unit 123a is not pressed by the user. As a result, the power switch 122 is turned on only when the switch operation unit 123a is pressed by the user, and the power supply from the electronic pen main body 11 is supplied to the semiconductor laser 121 to irradiate the laser light. Be able to do it.

Although the power switch 122 has been described here as being electrically turned on / off, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is of course possible to mechanically switch the power switch 122 on / off in response to the pressing operation of the switch operation unit 123a.

Next, the electronic pen main body 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the electronic pen main body 11 includes a core body 111, a pen pressure detection unit 112, a control circuit 113, an oscillator 114, side switches 115 and 116, a battery 117, and a charging / feeding circuit. It is equipped with 118. The switch operation units 115a and 116a are operation buttons for the side switches 115 and 116. The side switches 115, 116 and the switch operation units 115a, 116a are for realizing, for example, a function corresponding to a so-called left-click button and right-click button of a mouse as a pointing device. Further, the battery 117 is a secondary battery provided with a power storage element, and the charging / feeding circuit 118 can charge the battery 117 by receiving a power supply from the outside under the control of the control circuit 113, or the battery 117. Power is supplied to each part.

The core body 111 is formed in a rod shape by a conductive material, and one end portion protrudes from the housing (case) of the electronic pen main body portion 11 to form a pen tip, and the other end portion is a brush. By being attached to the pressure detection unit 112, it is attached to the electronic pen main body 11. As a result, when pen pressure is applied to the pen tip of the core body 111, the core body 111 presses the pen pressure detection unit 112. The pen pressure detection unit 112 is configured to include a variable capacitance capacitor whose capacitance can be changed by a mechanically movable portion pressed by the core body 111.

That is, the capacitance of the variable capacitance capacitor mounted on the pen pressure detection unit 112 changes according to the pen pressure (pressing pressure) applied to the core 111. Therefore, by supplying the capacitance of the variable capacitance capacitor to the control circuit 113, the control circuit 113 can detect (detect) the writing pressure applied to the core body 111 according to the capacitance. Become.

It should be noted that the variable capacitance capacitor mounted on the pen pressure detection unit 112 may be configured as a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) chip made of a semiconductor device. Further, instead of the variable capacitance capacitor which is a pressure-sensitive component mounted on the pen pressure detection unit 112, a pressure-sensitive component capable of changing the inductance value and the resistance value according to the pressing force may be used.

The control circuit 113 controls the position indicating signal transmitted from the electronic pen main body 11, and controls the supply of power to the expansion unit 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the pen pressure detection unit 112, the oscillator 114, the side switches 115 and 116, the charging / feeding circuit 118, and the data terminal of the connector jack 11J are connected to the control circuit 113. Further, the signal line from the control circuit 113 is connected to the core body 111. Then, the control circuit 113 controls to supply the signal corresponding to the signal from the oscillator 114 to the core body 111 as a position indicating signal and transmit it to the position detection circuit through the core body 111.

Further, the control circuit 113 detects the writing pressure according to the capacitance from the variable capacitance capacitor of the writing pressure detecting unit 112, and supplies the position indicating signal to the core 111 according to the writing pressure, for example, the frequency (phase). ) Is changed. As a result, the position detection circuit side can detect (detect) not only the indicated position but also the writing pressure according to the frequency (phase) of the position indicating signal from the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment.

Further, when the switch operation units 115a and 116a of the side switches 115 and 116 are operated, a signal (on signal) indicating that the side switches 115 and 116 have been operated is supplied to the control circuit 113. Therefore, when the on signal is supplied from the side switches 115 and 116, the control circuit 113 sets, for example, the frequency (phase) of the position indicating signal supplied to the core 111 according to the operated side switches 115 and 116. Change. As a result, it is also understood that the switch operation units 115a and 116a of the side switches 115 and 116 are operated on the position detection circuit side according to the frequency (phase) of the position instruction signal from the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment. I am trying to do it. In this way, the control circuit 113 performs various controls regarding the position indicating signal.

Further, when the connector plug matching the connector jack 11J is inserted, the control circuit 113 can recognize what kind of device the connection destination is from the signal from the connection destination. Therefore, when the control circuit 113 recognizes that the connection destination is, for example, a connector plug connected to a commercial power source, the control circuit 113 controls the charging / feeding circuit 118 to switch to the charging mode. As a result, the power supplied from the outside is supplied to the battery 117 via the charging / feeding circuit 118, and the battery 117 is charged.

Further, the control circuit 113 controls the charging / feeding circuit 118 to switch to the feeding mode when it recognizes that the connecting destination is the expansion unit 12 that realizes the laser pointer function based on the signal from the connecting destination. .. As a result, the power supply from the battery 117 is supplied to the expansion unit 12. However, when the pen pressure can be detected according to the capacitance from the pen pressure detection unit 112, the control circuit 113 is in a state where the electronic pen main body 11 is being used, so that the control circuit 113 is used from the battery 117. The charging / feeding circuit 118 is controlled so as not to supply power to the expansion unit 12. As a result, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience of accidentally irradiating the laser beam when using the electronic pen main body 11.

Further, the control circuit 113 can monitor the voltage of the battery 117 through the charging / feeding circuit 118. Therefore, for example, the voltage value of the battery 117 capable of maintaining the electronic pen function of the electronic pen main body 11 for a predetermined time is specified as a threshold value and stored in the memory of the control circuit 113. Then, when the voltage of the monitored battery 117 is equal to or less than the threshold value stored in the memory, the control circuit 113 is a charging / feeding circuit so as not to supply the power from the battery 117 to the expansion unit 12. Control 118. As a result, the inconvenience that the electronic pen function of the electronic pen main body 11 cannot be maintained due to insufficient power supply of the battery 117 can be avoided as much as possible.

Further, the control circuit 113 can control the charging / feeding circuit 118 so as not to supply power to the outside through the connector jack 11J when nothing is connected via the connector jack 11J. In this way, the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11 can appropriately control the supply of power to the expansion unit 12 connected through the connector jack 11J.

As described above, in the electronic pen 1, there is a high possibility that the electronic pen function of the electronic pen main body 11 cannot be used when the electronic pen function of the electronic pen main body 11 is used or due to the voltage value of the battery 117. In that case, the power supply to the expansion unit 12 is not performed. As a result, the electronic pen 1 makes it possible to fully utilize the laser pointer function having a relatively large power consumption while maintaining the state in which the electronic pen function can be operated as much as possible.

[Overview of capacitance coupling type position detection circuit]
Next, a configuration example of the position detection circuit used together with the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 shows the coordinates of the capacitance coupling method that receives a signal from the electronic pen main body 11 of the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment, detects the position on the sensor, and detects the pen pressure and the state of the side switch. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the position detection circuit 300 which used the detection sensor.

As shown in FIG. 4, the position detection circuit 300 of this example includes a capacitance coupling type coordinate detection sensor (hereinafter abbreviated as a sensor) 310 and a pen detection circuit 320 connected to the sensor 310. .. In this example, the sensor 310 is formed by laminating the first conductor group 311, the insulating layer (not shown), and the second conductor group 312 in order from the lower layer side, although the cross-sectional view is omitted in this example. is there. In the first conductor group 311, for example, a plurality of first conductors 311Y1, 311Y2, ..., 311Ym (m is a positive integer) extending in the lateral direction (X-axis direction) are separated from each other for a predetermined time and arranged in parallel. It is arranged in the Y-axis direction. Further, the second conductor group 312 extends in the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) orthogonal to the first conductor group 311 and is separated from each other by a predetermined time and arranged in parallel in the X-axis direction.

As described above, the sensor 310 of the position detection circuit 300 has a configuration for detecting the position indicated by the electronic pen by using the sensor pattern formed by intersecting the first conductor group 311 and the second conductor group 312. ing. In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish the first conductors 311Y1, 311Y2, ..., 311Ym, the conductors are referred to as the first conductors 211Y. Similarly, for the second conductors 312X1, 312X2, ..., 312Xn, when it is not necessary to distinguish each conductor, the conductor is referred to as the second conductor 312X.

The pen detection circuit 320 includes a selection circuit 321 as an input / output interface with the sensor 310, an amplifier circuit 322, a bandpass filter 323, a detection circuit 324, a sample hold circuit 325, and AD (Analog to Digital) conversion. It consists of a circuit 326 and a control circuit 327.

The selection circuit 321 selects one conductor 311Y or 312X from the first conductor group 311 and the second conductor group 312 based on the control signal from the control circuit 327. The conductor selected by the selection circuit 321 is connected to the amplifier circuit 322, and the signal from the electronic pen main body 11 is detected by the selected conductor and amplified by the amplifier circuit 322. The output of the amplifier circuit 322 is supplied to the bandpass filter 323, and only the frequency component of the signal transmitted from the electronic pen main body 11 is extracted.

The output signal of the bandpass filter 323 is detected by the detection circuit 324. The output signal of the detection circuit 324 is supplied to the sample hold circuit 325, sample-held by the sampling signal from the control circuit 327 at a predetermined timing, and then converted into a digital value by the AD conversion circuit 326. The digital data from the AD conversion circuit 326 is read and processed by the control circuit 327.

The control circuit 327 operates so as to send a control signal to the sample hold circuit 325, the AD conversion circuit 326, and the selection circuit 321 by a program stored in the internal ROM. Then, the control circuit 327 calculates the position coordinates on the sensor 310 instructed by the electronic pen main body 11 from the digital data from the AD conversion circuit 326. Further, the control circuit 327 detects the pen pressure detected through the pen pressure detection unit 112 of the electronic pen main body 11 and the states of the side switches 115 and 116 of the electronic pen main body 11.

In the PC 2 shown in FIG. 2, the touch panel 2TP is formed by stacking (superimposing) the sensor 310 of the position detection circuit 300 and the LCD. Therefore, the input area of the sensor 310 and the display area of the LCD coincide with each other.

[Example of power supply control to the expansion unit 12 by the control circuit 113]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of power supply control to the expansion unit 12 performed by the function of the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11. The process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 is executed when the electronic pen 1 is in the power-on state, and ends when the power is turned off. The power can be turned on / off by a predetermined operation such as a long press operation of the switch operation unit 115a of the side switch 115. Of course, the power on / off switch may be provided on the electronic pen main body 11 to turn the power on / off.

Then, when the power of the electronic pen main body 11 is turned on, the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11 first determines whether or not the pen pressure is detected through the pen pressure detection unit 112 (step S101). ). It is assumed that the pen pressure is not detected in the discriminating process of step S101. In this case, since the electronic pen main body 11 is not in use, the control circuit 113 determines whether or not the voltage of the battery 117 monitored through the charging / feeding circuit 118 is higher than the threshold value (step S102). ).

It is assumed that in the determination process of step S102, it is determined that the voltage of the battery 117 is higher than the threshold value (voltage is OK). In this case, since the power can be supplied to the expansion unit 12, the control circuit 113 determines whether or not the expansion unit 12 is connected through the connector jack 11J (step S103). When it is determined in the determination process of step S103 that the expansion unit 12 is connected, it is determined whether or not power is already being supplied from the battery 117 to the expansion unit 12 (step S104).

It is assumed that in the determination process of step S104, it is determined that the power is not supplied from the battery 117 to the expansion unit 12. In this case, the control circuit 113 controls the charging / feeding circuit 118 to start supplying power from the battery 117 to the expansion unit 12 (step S105). If it is determined that the battery 117 is supplying power to the expansion unit 12 after the power supply start process in step S105 and in the determination process in step S104, the process proceeds to the determination process in step S106.

In this case, the control circuit 113 determines whether or not the power of the electronic pen main body 11 has been turned off (step S106). When it is determined in the determination process of step S106 that the power supply is not turned off, the process from step S101 is repeated. Further, in the determination process of step S106, when it is determined that the power supply has been turned off, the charging / power supply circuit 118 is controlled, and a predetermined termination process such as stopping the supply of power from the battery 117 to each part is performed ( Step S107), the process shown in FIG. 5 is terminated.

On the other hand, there are cases where it is determined that the writing pressure is detected in the determination process of step S101, cases where it is determined in the determination process of step S102 that the voltage of the battery 117 is not greater than the threshold value (below the threshold value), and cases where it is determined in step S103. When it is determined that the expansion unit 12 is not connected in the determination process of the above, the process proceeds to the determination process of step S108.

In this case, the control circuit 113 determines whether or not power is already being supplied from the battery 117 to the expansion unit 12 (step S108). It is assumed that in the determination process of step S108, it is determined that the power is supplied from the battery 117 to the expansion unit 12. In this case, the control circuit 113 controls the charging / feeding circuit 118 and stops the supply of power from the battery 117 to the expansion unit 12 (step S109).

After the power supply stop process in step S109 and in the determination process in step S108, when it is determined that the power is not supplied from the battery 117 to the expansion unit 12, the process proceeds to the determination process in step S106. Then, as described above, it is determined whether or not the power of the electronic pen main body 11 has been turned off (step S106). In the determination process of step S106, when it is determined that it is not turned off, the process from step S101 is repeated, and when it is determined that it is turned off, the end process is performed (step S107) to end the process of FIG. ..

In this way, the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11 appropriately controls the supply of power to the expansion unit 12 connected through the connector jack 11J. As a result, for example, the laser pointer function is activated when it is not needed, or the laser pointer function is used too much, the battery is consumed more than necessary, and the electronic pen function cannot be used when needed. Can be prevented. That is, the electronic pen function of the electronic pen main body 11 and the laser pointer function of the expansion 12 can be appropriately used.

Moreover, since the heavy battery 117 is mounted on the electronic pen main body 11 side, the so-called center of gravity of the electronic pen main body 11 can be lowered, and the usability of the electronic pen function is not deteriorated. Further, the electronic pen main body 11 and the expansion 12 do not manage the power supply separately.

[Modified example of the first embodiment]
In the case of the electronic pen 1 of the first embodiment described above, the power switch 122 is provided in the expansion unit 12, but the present invention is not limited to this. The power switch 122 is not provided in the expansion unit 12, and the on signal from the switch circuit 123 is supplied to the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11 through the connector plug 12P and the connector jack 11J. The control circuit 113 does not detect the writing pressure, and charges / supplies only when the voltage of the battery 117 is larger than the threshold value and the on signal is supplied from the switch circuit 123 of the expansion unit 12. The circuit 118 may be controlled to supply power to the extension unit 12.

Therefore, even when the ON signal is supplied from the switch circuit 123 of the expansion unit 12, if the writing pressure is detected or the voltage of the battery 117 is equal to or less than the threshold value, the battery 117 to the expansion unit 12 Do not supply power to. As a result, it is possible to prevent the laser beam from being irradiated when it is unnecessary and to prevent wasteful consumption of the power supply.

Further, a switch circuit for turning on / off the power supply to the expansion unit 12 is provided on the electronic pen main body 11 side, and this is turned on / off depending on the presence or absence of an ON signal from the switch circuit 123 of the expansion unit 12. It can also be configured.

Further, in the electronic pen 1 of the first embodiment described above, for example, the voltage value of the battery 117 capable of maintaining the electronic pen function of the electronic pen main body 11 for a predetermined time is specified as a threshold value. Then, by the control function of the control circuit 113, when the voltage value of the battery 117 becomes equal to or less than the threshold value, the power supply to the expansion unit 12 is not supplied. However, it is not limited to this.

For example, it is assumed that the voltage required to operate the electronic pen function of the electronic pen main body 11 is E1. Further, it is assumed that the voltage required to operate the semiconductor laser 121 of the expansion unit 12 is E2. Normally, the voltage E2 required to operate the semiconductor laser 121 is higher than the voltage E1 required to operate the electronic pen function.

Therefore, when the voltage Eb of the battery 117 is higher than the voltage E1 required to operate the electronic pen function and lower than the voltage E2 required to operate the semiconductor laser 121 (E1 <Eb <E2), , Do not supply power to the expansion unit 12. By doing so, when the voltage required for driving the semiconductor laser 121 cannot be secured in the battery 117, the supply of power to the expansion unit 12 can be stopped. As a result, it is possible to avoid wasteful consumption of electric power and maintain a state in which the electronic pen function can function.

Further, the case where the voltage is used as a reference for controlling the supply of the power supply to the expansion unit 12 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the charging / feeding circuit 118, the value of the current flowing through a predetermined resistor is measured, and based on this current value, it is controlled whether to supply power to the expansion unit 12 or to stop the supply of power. May be good. Further, the remaining amount of the battery 117 is obtained based on the voltage value of the battery 117 and the current value that the battery 117 can pass through a predetermined resistor. Then, based on the obtained remaining battery level, it may be controlled whether to supply power to the expansion unit 12 or to stop the power supply.

In short, the power supply to the expansion unit 12 is based on the power supply required to operate the electronic pen function, the power supply required to operate the expansion function of the expansion unit 12, and the power supply to which the battery 117 can be supplied. It suffices to control whether to supply or stop the supply of power.

[Second Embodiment]
[Outline of the second embodiment]
Next, an embodiment of a position detection system including the electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment, the electronic pen 1A, and a PC (Personal Computer) will be described. The electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment also includes an electronic pen main body portion 11A and an expansion portion 12A, similarly to the electronic pen 1 of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. Then, as in the case of the electronic pen 1 of the first embodiment, the electronic pen main body 11A is provided with the connector jack 11J, and the expansion portion 12A is provided with the connector plug 12P. It is possible to connect.

That is, even in the case of the electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment, the configuration of the connecting portion between the electronic pen main body portion 11A and the expansion portion 12A is the same as that of the electronic pen 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. It has a similar configuration. Therefore, when the electronic pen main body 11A and the expansion portion 12A are connected, the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12A, the connector jack 11J of the electronic pen main body 11A, the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body 11A, and the expansion portion are connected in this order. The wall-shaped portion 12W of 12A fits and connects the two.

In this case, the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body 11A and the wall-shaped portion 12W of the expansion portion 12A are formed around the connector jack 11J of the electronic pen main body 11A and the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12A in the connected state. It is configured to cover. As shown in FIG. 1, the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body portion 11A and the wall-shaped portion 12W of the expansion portion 12A have a predetermined height (length along the axial direction of the electronic pen 1). Therefore, both the connector jack 11J of the electronic pen main body 11A and the connector plug 12P of the expansion 12A in the connected state can be firmly protected.

A gyro sensor is mounted on the expansion portion 12A of the electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment to realize a so-called air mouse function. That is, the electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment is composed of an electronic pen main body 11A that realizes the electronic pen function and an expansion unit 12A that realizes the air mouse function.

[Usage of electronic pen 1A]
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a usage mode of the electronic pen 1A according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 6, the PC (Personal Computer) 2A is equipped with an electrostatically coupled touch panel 23. The projector (video display device) 3 receives the video data supplied from the PC 2A and projects the video corresponding to the video data on the screen 4. Then, as in the case of the first embodiment described above, the touch panel 23 of the PC 2A is moved by bringing the core 111 of the electronic pen main body 11A of the electronic pen 1A into contact with the PC 2A. You can enter information such as figures, pictures, letters, and symbols. Then, by supplying information such as figures, pictures, characters, and symbols input to the PC 2A to the projector 3 as video data, a video corresponding to the video data can be projected on the screen 4 through the projector 3.

As described above, in the case of the second embodiment, the position detection system is configured by the electronic pen 1A, the PC 2A, and the projector 3. Then, in the case of this position detection system, it is projected on the screen 4 by moving the display position of the pointer PT, which is a position indicator in the shape of an arrow, which is displayed in the image projected on the screen 4. It is possible to point to a predetermined position of the projected image. In order to move the display position of the pointer PT, the air mouse function of the expansion unit 12A is used. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, when information is input through the touch panel 23 of the PC 2A using the electronic pen 1A and the core body of the electronic pen 1A is separated from the touch panel 23, the core body of the electronic pen 1A comes into contact until just before that. The pointer PT is displayed so as to point to the position P on the touch panel 23.

In this case, in order to move the pointer PT, as indicated by the arrow MK2 in FIG. 6, the core body 111 of the electronic pen 1A is separated from the touch panel 23 of the PC 2A, and the expansion portion 12A located on the opposite side of the core body 111 To screen 4. Then, while pressing the switch operation unit 126a, the direction of the expansion unit 12A is changed in the direction in which the pointer PT is desired to be moved, as shown by the arrow shown around the electronic pen 1A. That is, when it is desired to move the pointer PT above the current display position, the extension portion 12A of the electronic pen 1A is swung up to change the direction. As a result, as will be described in detail later, the angular velocity data is output from the gyro sensor mounted on the expansion unit 12A and transmitted to the PC2A through the wireless communication unit mounted on the electronic pen main body 11A.

In this embodiment, the angular velocity data is data including a rotation direction, a rotation angle, and a rotation time. That is, the angular velocity data indicates in which direction, how much angle, and how long the expansion unit 12A has rotated. The PC2A can receive the angular velocity data from the electronic pen main body 11A, calculates how much the pointer PT is moved in which direction according to the received angular velocity data, and displays the pointer PT accordingly. Change the position. As a result, the display position of the pointer PT can be moved to point to the target position P on the screen 4.

In addition, here, in order to move the pointer PT above the current display position, it has been described that the direction is changed so as to swing up the extension portion 12A of the electronic pen 1A. However, the pointer PT can be moved in the desired direction by swinging the expansion portion 12A of the electronic pen 1A in the direction in which the pointer PT is desired to be moved so as to change the direction. That is, the display position of the pointer PT can be moved in the direction intended by the user, and the amount of movement is also the angular velocity (how much) when the expansion portion 12A of the electronic pen 1A is shaken so as to change the direction. It can be changed according to how long the angle was moved).

In this way, by using the electronic pen 1A, it is possible to seamlessly input information to the PC 2A and move the display position of the pointer PT displayed on the screen 4. As a result, the explanation at the meeting or the meeting can be made easy to understand, and the effect of the meeting or the meeting can be increased. As described above, the electronic pen 1A of this embodiment is provided with an electronic pen function and a so-called air mouse function by connecting the expansion portion 12A to the electronic pen main body portion 11A.

[Configuration example of electronic pen 1A]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of the electronic pen 1A according to the second embodiment. The electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment is largely composed of two parts, an electronic pen main body portion 11A and an expansion portion 12A, as in the case of the electronic pen 1 of the first embodiment described above. The electronic pen main body 11A mainly realizes the electronic pen function, similarly to the electronic pen main body 11 of the electronic pen 1 of the first embodiment. However, the expansion unit 12A of the second embodiment includes a configuration for realizing a so-called air mouse function.

Therefore, in the electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the same reference numeral is applied to a portion configured in the same manner as the electronic pen 1 of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. Since the detailed explanation of that part will be duplicated, it will be omitted. Then, the electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7 will be mainly described with a configuration portion different from that of the electronic pen 1 of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the connector jack 11J provided at the rear end of the electronic pen main body 11A is connected to each other by inserting the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12A, and the second embodiment Electronic pen 1A is configured. First, the expansion unit 12A will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the expansion unit 12A includes a gyro sensor 125, a switch circuit 126, and a switch operation unit 126a.

The gyro sensor 125 is a kind of inertial sensor that realizes the measurement of the rotational angular velocity, and can detect how much the angle of the expansion unit 12A on which the gyro sensor 125 is mounted changes per unit time. More specifically, the gyro sensor 125 is a 3-axis gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor), and as described above, the expansion unit 12A has the expansion unit 12A in which direction, at what angle, and at what time. Outputs angular velocity data indicating whether or not it has rotated.

The switch circuit 126 has a so-called two-step push switch configuration. When it is half-pressed (lightly pressed), it outputs an on / off signal of the gyro sensor, and when it is fully pressed (strongly pressed), it outputs an on / off signal. Outputs a position determination signal. The gyro sensor on / off signal and the position determination signal from the switch circuit 126 are supplied to the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A through the connector plug 12P and the connector jack 11J.

As a result, when the switch operation unit 126a is half-pressed by the user, the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A controls the on / off of the gyro sensor 125. Then, when the gyro sensor 125 is turned on and in operation, the angular velocity data from the gyro sensor 125 can be received and transmitted to the PC2A. Further, when the switch operation unit 126a is fully pressed by the user, the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A transmits a position determination signal to the PC2A, and is specified by the angular velocity data received from the gyro sensor 125 immediately before that. The position to be specified can be specified as the position instructed by the user.

The above operation will be described as an operation on the position detection system in FIG. When the switch operation unit 126a is half-pressed, the pointer PT moves on the screen 4 according to the angular velocity data from the gyro sensor 125 according to the movement direction of the expansion unit 12A. As a result, the pointer PT is positioned on an arbitrary object (object) on the screen. Further, when the button is pressed, the position determination signal is transmitted to the PC2A to select and determine the object indicated by the pointer PT.

The switch is not limited to the two-step push switch, and for example, two switches, an on / off switch for the gyro sensor 125 and a switch for determining the position, may be provided and used properly. That is, the on / off switch of the gyro sensor 125 controls the on (operation) / off (non-operation) of the gyro sensor 125. Then, only when the gyro sensor is in the operating state, the operation of the switch for determining the position can be enabled so that the determination can be made.

Further, the gyro sensor 125 is operated only when the switch operation unit 126a is continuously pressed by the user, and the gyro sensor 125 is stopped when the switch operation unit 126a is not pressed by the user. It is also possible to control to. In this case, the position pointed to by the pointer PT is determined when the switch operation unit 126a is no longer pressed from the state where the switch operation unit 126a is pressed by the user.

Next, the electronic pen main body 11A will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the electronic pen main body 11A of the second embodiment is provided with the wireless communication unit 119 and the antenna 119A, which is the electronic pen of the first embodiment shown in FIG. It is different from the main body 11. In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 119 and the antenna 119A realize the wireless communication function of the "Bluetooth (registered trademark)" standard, which is one of the short-range wireless communication standards for digital devices.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the switch circuit 126 of the expansion unit 12A is connected to the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A, and the ON signal from the switch circuit 126 is supplied to the control circuit 113. ing. Further, the gyro sensor 125 of the expansion unit 12A is connected to the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A so that data can be exchanged with each other. Further, the charging / power supply circuit 118 of the electronic pen main body 11A and the gyro sensor of the expansion unit 12A are connected, and power can be supplied from the battery 117 of the electronic pen main body 11A to the gyro sensor 125 of the expansion unit 12A. It has become like.

Then, the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A controls the gyro sensor 125 on / off when the switch operation unit 126a of the switch circuit 126 is half-pressed. That is, when the switch operation unit 126a of the switch circuit 126 is half-pressed, if the gyro sensor 125 is not operating, it is turned on and put into an operating state, and if the gyro sensor 125 is in an operating state, it is turned off and put into a non-operating state.

Further, the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A receives the angular velocity data from the gyro sensor 125 when the gyro sensor 125 is in the operating state. Then, the control circuit 113 wirelessly transmits the received angular velocity data to the PC 2A via the wireless communication unit 119 and the antenna 119A. As a result, the angular velocity data corresponding to the operation of shaking the expansion unit 12A is transmitted to the PC2A, and the display position of the pointer PT displayed on the screen 4 can be changed as described with reference to FIG.

Then, the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A transmits a determination signal to the PC 2A when the switch operation unit 126a of the switch circuit 126 is fully pressed while the gyro sensor 125 is in the operating state. As a result, in the PC2A, the position specified by the angular velocity data received from the gyro sensor 125 immediately before that can be specified as the position instructed by the user.

In the electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment as well, the power supply control from the battery 117 of the electronic pen main body 11A to the expansion portion 12A is performed in the same manner as in the case of the electronic pen 1 of the first embodiment. It can be carried out.

[Devices that make up the position detection system together with the electronic pen 1A]
FIG. 8 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of the PC 2A constituting the position detection system and the projector 3 together with the electronic pen 1A. The PC 2A can accept a position instruction input using the electronic pen function of the electronic pen main body 11A of the electronic pen 1A and a position instruction input using the air mouse function of the extension 12A of the electronic pen 1A. .. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the PC2A includes a control circuit 21, a display controller 22, a touch panel 23, a wireless communication unit 24, and an antenna 24A.

The control circuit 21 controls each part of the PC 2A. Based on the control of the control circuit 21, the display controller 22 displays an image on the display unit 400, and outputs image data for displaying the same image as the image displayed on the display unit 400 to the projector 3. To do. The touch panel 23 realizes one input device of the PC 2A, and is configured by stacking (superimposing) the position detection circuit 300 and the display unit 400.

Then, the user inputs information by pressing (touching) the display on the screen of the display unit 400, or brings the core body 111 of the electronic pen 1A into contact with the screen of the display unit 400 to move the information. By doing so, information (trajectory) such as characters, figures, symbols, and pictures can be input. The position detection circuit 300 has a configuration described with reference to FIG. 4, for example, and includes a sensor 310. Further, the display unit 400 is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) in this embodiment.

Also in this second embodiment, the sensor 310 of the position detection circuit 300 and the display unit 400 are superposed and arranged to form the touch panel 23. Therefore, the input area of the sensor 310 and the display screen of the display unit 400 match.

In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 24 and the antenna 24A realize a wireless communication function of the "Bluetooth (registered trademark)" standard, which is one of the short-range wireless communication standards for digital devices. Therefore, the PC 2A including the wireless communication unit 24 and the antenna 24A can perform wireless communication with the electronic pen main body 11A of the electronic pen 1A including the wireless communication unit 119 and the antenna 119A.

The projector 3 includes a display controller 31 and a light emitting unit 32. The display controller 31 forms a video signal for displaying a video corresponding to the video data from the PC 2A on the display unit built in the light emitting unit 32, and supplies this to the light emitting unit 32. The light emitting unit 32 displays an image corresponding to the image signal from the display controller 31 on the built-in display unit, irradiates light from the back surface of the display unit, and magnifies and displays the image displayed on the display unit on the screen 4. Let me.

As a result, the same image as the image input to the PC 2A through the touch panel 23 and displayed on the display unit 400 of the PC 2A can be enlarged and displayed on the screen 4 through the projector 3. Then, after inputting information by bringing the core body 111 of the electronic pen main body 11A of the electronic pen 1A into contact with the display screen of the display unit 400, the core body 111 is separated from the display screen of the display unit 400. To do. In this case, the control circuit 21 displays the pointer PT on the display unit 400 through the display controller 22 so as to indicate the position P in which the core body 111 has been in contact until immediately before.

As a result, the screen 4 also displays an image similar to the image displayed on the display screen of the display unit 400, so that the pointer PT is displayed. The display position of the pointer PT is such that the expansion unit 12A of the electronic pen 1A is directed toward the screen 4, the switch operation unit 126a is pressed halfway to operate the gyro sensor 125, and the direction of the expansion unit 12A is oriented in the direction in which the pointer PT is desired to be moved. It can be moved by performing a shaking operation to change it. That is, the angular velocity data from the gyro sensor 125 of the expansion unit 12A that has been shaken is transmitted to the PC2A through the wireless communication unit 119 and the antenna 119A of the electronic pen main body 11A.

The PC 2A receives the angular velocity data from the electronic pen main body 11A through the wireless communication unit 24 and the antenna 24A, and specifies the moving direction and the moving amount of the pointer PT according to the angular velocity data received by the control circuit 21. Then, the control circuit 21 changes the display position of the pointer PT via the display controller 22 based on the specified movement direction and movement amount. Further, when the switch operation unit 126a is fully pressed while the gyro sensor 125 is in the operating state, the position of the pointer PT being moved is determined according to the output from the gyro sensor 125 and the object is determined as described above. (Object) can be selected.

As described above, the position detection system of this embodiment can input information through the touch panel 23 using the electronic pen 1A. Further, the position detection system of this embodiment can change and determine the display position of the pointer PT by the function of the air mouse realized mainly by the expansion unit 12A of the electronic pen 1A.

[Collaboration operation of electronic pen 1A and PC2A]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the cooperation processing of the electronic pen 1A and the PC 2A constituting the position detection system of the second embodiment, and FIG. 9A shows the processing of the electronic pen 1A, FIG. (B) shows the processing of PC2A. In the following, first, the processing of the electronic pen 1A of FIG. 9A will be described, and then the processing of the PC2A of FIG. 9B will be described.

In the electronic pen 1A, for example, when the switch operation unit 115a is pressed and held for a long time to turn on the power, the control circuit 113 controls the charging / feeding circuit 118 to supply power to each unit. Then, the process shown in FIG. 9A is started. Then, in the electronic pen 1A, the control circuit 113 controls each part to enable the electronic pen function of the electronic pen main body portion 11A (step S201). As a result, the transmission of the position detection signal is started from the electronic pen main body 11A.

Then, in the electronic pen 1A, the control circuit 113 determines whether or not the air mouse function is turned on (step S202). The control circuit 113 manages the state of the gyro sensor 125. Therefore, in the determination process of step S202, when the gyro sensor 125 is in the non-operating state, the on / off signal output from the switch circuit 126 is supplied by half-pressing the switch operation unit 126a of the expansion unit 12A. When the air mouse function is received, it is determined that the air mouse function is turned on.

When it is determined in the determination process of step S202 that the air mouse function is not turned on, the process from step S201 is repeated so that the position instruction input can be continuously performed through the electronic pen main body 11A of the electronic pen 1A. .. When it is determined in the determination process of step S202 that the air mouse function has been turned on, the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A acquires the angular velocity data from the gyro sensor 125 of the expansion unit 12A (step S203). Then, the control circuit 113 transmits the angular velocity data acquired in step S203 to the PC 2A through the wireless communication unit 119 and the antenna 119A (step S204). Further, in the process of step S204, when the switch operation unit 126a of the expansion unit 12A is fully pressed, a position determination signal is transmitted to the PC2A.

After that, the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A determines whether or not the air mouse function has been turned off (step S205). In the discrimination process of step S205, when the gyro sensor 125 is in the operating state, the switch operation unit 126a of the expansion unit 12A is half-pressed to receive the supply of the on / off signal output from the switch circuit 126. In this case, it is determined that the air mouse function is turned off. When it is determined that the air mouse function is not off in the determination process of step S205, the process from step S203 is repeated, and the process of acquiring the angular velocity data and the process of transmitting the acquired angular velocity data to the PC2A are repeated. To.

Further, it is assumed that it is determined that the air mouse function has been turned off in the determination process in step S205. In this case, the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A determines whether or not the power of the electronic pen 1A is turned off by pressing and holding the switch operation unit 115a (step S206).

When it is determined in the determination process of step S206 that the power supply is not turned off, the control circuit 113 repeats the process from step S201. Further, in the determination process of step S206, when it is determined that the power supply is turned off, the control circuit 113 controls the charging / power supply circuit 118 to stop the supply of the power supply to each part. A termination process is performed (step S207) to terminate the process shown in FIG. 9A.

On the other hand, in PC2A, although not shown, when the power button is pressed and the power is turned on, the process shown in FIG. 9B is started. When the power is turned on, the PC 2A can detect the indicated position by the electronic pen 1A, detect the writing pressure, and detect the pressing operation of the side switch through the touch panel 23 (step S301). Then, in the PC2A, the control circuit 21 and the display controller 22 function, and display processing such as a locus according to the detection result of the indicated position is performed (step S302). In the process of step S302, when the indicated position by the electronic pen 1A cannot be detected, it is considered that the core 111 of the electronic pen 1A is separated from the touch panel 23. The process of displaying the PT is also performed.

Then, the control circuit 21 of the PC 2A determines whether or not the angular velocity data or the position determination signal from the electronic pen 1A is received through the antenna 24A and the wireless communication unit 24 (step S303). When it is determined that the angular velocity data has been received in the determination process of step S303, the control circuit 21 converts the amount of change in the received angular velocity data into the screen coordinates of the destination of the pointer PT (step S304). After that, the control circuit 21 controls the display controller 22 to change the display position of the pointer PT to the position indicated by the screen coordinates obtained in step S304 (step S305).

When it is determined that the position determination signal has been received in the determination process of step S303, the control circuit 21 sets the position indicated by the angular velocity data received immediately before that as the determined position in step S304, and sets the position. Select an object that exists in. After that, the control circuit 21 positions and fixes the pointer PT at the determined position in step S305.

After the process of step S305 and in the determination process of step S303, when it is determined that the angular velocity data is not received, the control circuit 21 determines whether or not the operation of turning off the power of the PC2A has been performed (step). S306). When it is determined in the determination process of step S306 that the operation of turning off the power is not performed, the control circuit 21 repeats the process from step S301. Further, in the determination process of step S306, when it is determined that the operation of turning off the power has been performed, the control circuit 21 performs a predetermined termination process such as stopping the supply of power to each unit (step S307). The process shown in FIG. 9B is terminated.

As described above, the electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment has an electronic pen function and an air mouse function. Then, by cooperating with the PC2A provided with the touch panel 23 and the wireless communication unit 24, it is possible to seamlessly input information to the PC2A by the electronic pen function and move the pointer PT by the air mouse function. As a result, the explanation at the meeting, the meeting, etc. can be made easy to understand, and the effect of the meeting, the meeting, etc. can be increased.

Further, also in the case of the electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment, since the heavy battery 117 is mounted on the electronic pen main body 11 side, the so-called low center of gravity of the electronic pen main body 11 is realized. However, the usability of the electronic pen function can be improved. Further, also in the case of the electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment, as in the case of the first electronic pen 1, power is supplied from the battery 117 mounted on the electronic pen main body 11A to the expansion portion 12A. The control can be performed by the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A.

Further, also in the case of the electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment, the peripheral of the connector jack 11J of the electronic pen main body 11A and the connector plug 12P of the expansion portion 12A in the connected state is the electronic pen main body 11A. The tubular portion 11T and the wall-shaped portion 12W of the expansion portion 12A are covered. Therefore, both the connector jack 11J of the electronic pen main body 11A and the connector plug 12P of the expansion 12A are connected by the tubular portion 11T of the electronic pen main body 11A and the wall-shaped portion 12W of the expansion portion 12A. Can be strongly protected.

[Power supply control of the expansion unit 12A in the electronic pen 1A]
Also in the electronic pen 1A of the second embodiment, the supply control of the power supply from the battery 117 to the expansion unit 12A can be performed in the same manner as in the case of the electronic pen 1 of the first embodiment.

That is, as described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5, the pen pressure is not detected in the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A, and the voltage of the battery 117 is higher than the threshold value. , It is assumed that power is not supplied to the expansion unit 12A. In this case, the control circuit 113 controls the charging / feeding circuit 118 to start supplying power to the expansion unit 12A from the battery 117. Then, it is assumed that the writing pressure is detected in the control circuit 113, the voltage of the battery 117 becomes equal to or lower than the threshold value, or the connection of the expansion unit 12A is lost after the power supply to the expansion unit 12A is started. In this case, the control circuit 113 controls the charging / feeding circuit 118 to stop the power supply of the expansion unit 12A.

Further, it is assumed that the writing pressure is not detected in the control circuit 113 of the electronic pen main body 11A and the voltage of the battery 117 is higher than the threshold value, and the power is not supplied to the expansion unit 12A. .. Even in this case, the control circuit 113 controls the charging / feeding circuit 118 and supplies the power supply from the battery 117 to the expansion unit 12A only when the on signal from the switch circuit 126 of the expansion unit 12A is present. Then, when the on signal from the switch circuit 126 of the expansion unit 12A disappears, the control circuit 113 controls the charging / power supply circuit 118 to stop the supply of power from the battery 117 to the expansion unit 12A. In this way, the supply control of the power supply to the expansion unit 12A may be performed in consideration of the presence / absence of the ON signal from the switch circuit 126 of the expansion unit 12A.

[Modified example of the second embodiment]
In the second embodiment described above, the position of the pointer PT is changed by the expansion unit 12A from the state where the information is input to the sensor 310 of the position detection circuit 300 using the electronic pen main body 11A. It was supposed to be displayed when That is, in the position detection circuit 300 constituting the touch panel 23, when the instruction position by the electronic pen 1A disappears, the position where the instruction position disappears (the latest instruction position) is set as a reference point, and this reference point is pointed by the pointer PT. It was set to position P. However, it is not limited to this.

When the position instruction by the electronic pen main body 11A is completed, the reference point pointed by the pointer PT first is the center of the display screen of the display unit 400, any position in the four corners of the display screen, or on the display screen. It can be an appropriate position such as an arbitrary position determined in advance.

Further, the position detection system of the second embodiment described above has been described as being composed of an electronic pen 1A, a PC 2A as an information processing device, and a projector 3 as a display processing device. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the position detection system can be configured only by the electronic pen 1A and the PC 2A as an information processing device. In this case, the system is such that the display position of the pointer PT displayed on the display screen of the display unit 400 of the PC2A is moved by the operation of the expansion unit 12A.

Further, in the position detection system of the second embodiment described above, the PC2A as an information processing device has been described as having a display unit 400, but the PC2A does not have a display unit 400 and is displayed by the projector 3. It can also be configured as a system that uses only the video.

In addition, a so-called digitizer consisting of a board with a built-in touch sensor (coordinate detection sensor) that detects the position and an electronic pen that specifies the position, and a conventional personal computer that does not have a touch panel and has only a display device. It is also possible to configure a position detection system. In this case, the electronic pen main body 11A of the electronic pen 1 is used to input information to the personal computer through the digitizer, and the input information is displayed on the display device of the personal computer. Then, by displaying the pointer PT on the display device, the display position of the pointer PT displayed on the display device of the personal computer can be moved by the function of the expansion unit 12A of the electronic pen 1A.

As described above, the position detection system according to the present invention forms the electronic pen 1A, the input device provided with the position detection circuit, and the image information corresponding to the input information received through the input device, and forms the display unit and the image display. It can be supplied to the device and can be configured by an electronic pen and an information processing device capable of wireless communication.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the input area of the sensor 310 and the display area of the display screen of the display unit of the PC2 and PC2A coincide with each other, and the display area of the image displayed on the screen 4 is the PC2 and PC2A. It corresponds to the display area of the display screen of the display unit. Therefore, the position can be indicated through the sensor 310, and the information can be displayed at the position on the display screen of the display unit corresponding to the position. Then, the image displayed on the display screen of the display unit can be enlarged and displayed on the screen 4.

However, the relationship between the input area of the sensor 310, the display area of the display screen of the display units of the PC2 and PC2A, and the display area of the image displayed on the screen 4 is not necessarily that of the above-described embodiment. May be good. At least, the input area of the sensor 310 may be included in the display area of the display unit of the display unit of PC2 and PC2A, and the display area of the display unit of the display unit of PC2 and PC2A is displayed on the screen 4. It suffices if it is included in the display area of the video. As a result, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the indicated position and the display position.

Further, in the second embodiment described above, the electronic pen 1A and the PC 2A have been described as having, for example, a wireless communication function of the "Bluetooth (registered trademark)" standard, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Communication methods of various standards capable of appropriately communicating between the electronic pen 1A and the PC 2A can be used.

Further, in the second embodiment described above, the pointer PT to be displayed on the display unit 400 or the screen 4 of the PC2A has been described as having an arrow shape, but the present invention is not limited to this. The shape of the pointer PT can be various.

[Other]
Further, in the first and second embodiments described above, the electronic pens 1 and 1A have been described by taking the case where they are of the signal oscillation type as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to a resonance type electronic pen. In the case of a resonance type electronic pen, it is not necessary to provide a power supply such as a battery, but in order to realize an electronic pen main body with a low center of gravity, a battery is provided in the electronic pen main body and a power supply is provided in this or the expansion part. It can be a supply mode. Even in this case, at least when the pen pressure is detected, by controlling not to supply power to the expansion unit, the expansion unit may function unnecessarily or the battery may be consumed. You can avoid it.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the expansion units 12 and 12A are connected to the electronic pen main body portions 11 and 11A, and in the first embodiment, the expansion unit 12 is a laser pointer, and the second embodiment. In, the expansion unit 12A is assumed to be an air mouse (gyro sensor). That is, both the electronic pen main body portions 11 and 11A and the expansion portions 12 and 12A realize the position indicating function. However, it is not limited to this.

The functions of the extension unit connected to the electronic pen main body 11, 11A include an erasing function (erasing signal transmission function) for erasing the trajectory drawn by the electronic pen main body 11, 11A, the electronic pen main body 11, It is possible to incorporate various functions such as a switch function for switching the power of 11A on / off, a camera function, and a voice recording function including a microphone and a voice storage unit. The camera function can realize a function of shooting a surrounding subject or a so-called color picker function of discriminating and acquiring a color at a designated position by shooting an image. Further, although the wireless communication unit is provided in the electronic pen main bodies 11 and 11A, it may be provided in the expansion unit. Further, both the electronic pen main body portions 11 and 11A and the expansion portions 12 and 12A may be provided with wireless communication units having different specifications.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the electronic pen main body portions 11 and 11A are provided with a connector jack (connector portion having a concave portion) 11J and a tubular portion 11T, and the expansion portions 12 and 12A are provided with a connector plug (convex portion). 12P and a wall-shaped portion 12W are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this. The reverse configuration is also possible. That is, the electronic pen main body portions 11 and 11A may be provided with the connector plug and the wall-shaped portion, and the expansion portions 12 and 12A may be provided with the connector jack and the tubular portion. Even in this case, the same effect as that of the electronic pens 1 and 1A of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

Further, in the above embodiment, the power supply is arranged in the electronic pen main body portions 11 and 11A, but the power supply may be arranged in the expansion portions 12 and 12A. The expansion units 12 and 12A themselves may be power supply units.

Further, in the above embodiment, the operation unit which is a switch is provided to operate the expansion units 12 and 12A, but the function of the expansion units 12 and 12A is received by receiving the instruction signal from the position detection device side. May be put into operation.

Further, the expansion units 12 and 12A may be equipped with a plurality of functions. In this case, the function may be automatically switched by switching with an operation switch and further receiving an instruction signal from the position detection device side.

1, 1A ... Electronic pen, 11, 11A ... Electronic pen body, 11J ... Connector jack, 11T ... Cylindrical part, 111 ... Core body, 112 ... Pen pressure detection unit, 113 ... Control circuit, 114 ... Oscillator, 115, 116 ... Side switch, 115a, 116a ... Switch operation unit, 117 ... Battery, 118 ... Charging / power supply circuit, 119 ... Wireless communication unit, 119A ... Antenna, 12, 12A ... Expansion unit, 12P ... Connector plug, 12W ... Wall-shaped Unit, 121 ... semiconductor laser, 122 ... power switch, 123 ... switch circuit, 123a ... switch operation unit, 125 ... gyro sensor, 126 ... switch circuit, 126a ... switch operation unit, 2, 2A ... PC (Personal Computer), 21 ... Control circuit, 22 ... Display controller, 2TP, 23 ... Touch panel, 24 ... Wireless communication unit, 24A ... Antenna, 300 ... Position detection circuit, 310 ... Sensor, 400 ... Display unit, 3 ... Projector, 31 ... Display controller, 32 ... light emitting part, 4 ... screen, PT ... pointer

Claims (13)

A first position indicator that sends a signal to the position detection sensor,
Control unit and
The first connector part and
A power supply unit that can be charged from an external power supply through the first connector unit,
With the electronic pen body that has
A second position indicating unit for instructing the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor, and
A third position indicating unit for instructing the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor by a method different from that of the second position indicating unit.
An extension with a second connector and
A first operation unit that is provided so as to be operated in a direction intersecting the axial direction and accepts an operation by the user, and a first operation unit.
With
The electronic pen main body portion and the expansion portion are detachable through the first connector portion and the second connector portion.
When the electronic pen main body and the expansion are connected, power can be supplied from the power supply of the electronic pen main body to the expansion.
The control unit of the electronic pen main body monitors at least one of the voltage, current, and remaining amount of the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, and the power supply unit functions as an electronic pen of the electronic pen main body. If it is determined that the tablet is not in a maintainable state for a predetermined time, the power supply to the expansion unit is controlled so as not to be supplied.
The first operation unit is an electronic pen characterized in that it receives a switching instruction as to which of the second position instruction unit and the third position instruction unit is to function. A first position indicator that sends a signal to the position detection sensor,
Control unit and
The first connector part, which has a concave structure, and
A tubular portion on which the first connector portion is formed, a power supply portion that can be charged from an external power source through the first connector portion, and a power supply unit.
With the electronic pen body that has
A second position indicating unit for instructing the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor, and
A third position indicating unit for instructing the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor by a method different from that of the second position indicating unit.
A second connector part with a convex part and
An extension portion having a wall-shaped portion surrounding the second connector portion and
A first operation unit that is provided so as to be operated in a direction intersecting the axial direction and accepts an operation by the user, and a first operation unit.
With
The electronic pen main body portion and the expansion portion are detachable through the first connector portion and the second connector portion.
When the first connector portion and the second connector portion are connected, the tubular portion and the wall-shaped portion are fitted to form the first connector portion and the second connector portion. Cover and protect
When the electronic pen main body and the expansion are connected, power can be supplied from the power supply of the electronic pen main body to the expansion.
The control unit of the electronic pen main body monitors at least one of the voltage, current, and remaining amount of the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, and the power supply unit functions as an electronic pen of the electronic pen main body. If it is determined that the tablet is not in a maintainable state for a predetermined time, the power supply to the expansion unit is controlled so as not to be supplied.
The first operation unit is an electronic pen characterized in that it receives a switching instruction as to which of the second position instruction unit and the third position instruction unit is to function. A first position indicator that sends a signal to the position detection sensor,
Control unit and
The first connector part, which has a convex structure, and
A wall-shaped portion surrounding the first connector portion and
A power supply unit that can be charged from an external power supply through the first connector unit,
With the electronic pen body that has
A second position indicating unit for instructing the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor, and
A third position indicating unit for instructing the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor by a method different from that of the second position indicating unit.
The second connector part, which has a concave structure, and
An expansion portion having a tubular portion on which the second connector portion is formed, and an expansion portion.
A first operation unit that is provided so as to be operated in a direction intersecting the axial direction and accepts an operation by the user, and a first operation unit.
With
The electronic pen main body portion and the expansion portion are detachable through the first connector portion and the second connector portion.
When the first connector portion and the second connector portion are connected, the tubular portion and the wall-shaped portion are fitted to form the first connector portion and the second connector portion. Cover and protect
When the electronic pen main body and the expansion are connected, power can be supplied from the power supply of the electronic pen main body to the expansion.
The control unit of the electronic pen main body monitors at least one of the voltage, current, and remaining amount of the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, and the power supply unit functions as an electronic pen of the electronic pen main body. If it is determined that the tablet is not in a maintainable state for a predetermined time, the power supply to the expansion unit is controlled so as not to be supplied.
The first operation unit is an electronic pen characterized in that it receives a switching instruction as to which of the second position instruction unit and the third position instruction unit is to function. The electronic pen according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3.
The expansion unit is provided so as to be operated in a direction intersecting the axial direction, and includes a second operation unit that accepts an operation by the user.
The second position indicating unit is a semiconductor laser.
By operating the first operation unit, the second position indicating unit is switched to function, and when the second operation unit is operated, the electronic pen main body unit An electronic pen characterized in that when power is supplied from the power supply unit, a position can be indicated by a laser beam from the semiconductor laser. The electronic pen according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3.
The expansion unit is provided so as to be operated in a direction intersecting the axial direction, and includes a second operation unit that accepts an operation by the user.
The third position indicator is a gyro sensor.
When the electronic pen main body and the expansion are connected, data can be exchanged between the electronic pen main body and the expansion.
The electronic pen main body has a wireless communication unit and has a wireless communication unit.
The control unit is switched so that the third position indicating unit functions by operating the first operation unit, and the second operation unit may be operated. When the power is supplied from the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, it is controlled to receive the angular velocity data as an instruction from the third position indicating unit and control it to be transmitted through the wireless communication unit. Characterized electronic pen. The electronic pen according to any one of claims 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
The first and second connector portions are electronic pens that constitute a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard connector portion. A position detection system including an electronic pen, an information processing device including a position detection circuit for detecting a position indicated by the electronic pen, and a display unit.
The electronic pen
A first position indicator that sends a signal to the position detection sensor,
Control unit and
The first connector part and
A power supply unit that can be charged from an external power supply through the first connector unit,
With the wireless communication department
With the electronic pen body that has
A second position indicating unit provided with a semiconductor laser to indicate a position in a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor and outputs a laser beam, and a second position indicating unit.
A third position indicator that is provided with a gyro sensor to indicate the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor and outputs angular velocity data, and
An extension operation unit that is provided so as to be operated in a direction that intersects the axial direction and accepts operations by the user, and an extension operation unit.
An extension with a second connector and
An operation unit that is provided so as to be operated in a direction that intersects the axial direction and accepts operations by the user,
With
The electronic pen main body portion and the expansion portion are detachable through the first connector portion and the second connector portion.
When the electronic pen main body and the expansion are connected, power is supplied from the power supply of the electronic pen main body to the expansion, and between the electronic pen main body and the expansion. Data can be exchanged,
The control unit of the electronic pen main body monitors at least one of the voltage, current, and remaining amount of the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, and the power supply unit functions as an electronic pen of the electronic pen main body. If it is determined that the tablet is not in a maintainable state for a predetermined time, the power supply to the expansion unit is controlled so as not to be supplied.
The control unit of the electronic pen main body is switched so that the third position indicating unit functions by operating the operation unit, and the expansion unit operation unit may be operated. When power is supplied from the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, the wireless communication unit of the electronic pen main body receives the angular velocity data which is an instruction from the third position indicating unit. Control to send through
The information processing device
A display control unit that controls to display information at a position on the display screen of the display unit corresponding to the position indicated by the electronic pen detected through the position detection circuit.
The instruction from the third position indicating unit of the expansion unit is displayed on the display screen of the receiving unit and the display unit that receives the signal transmitted from the wireless communication unit of the electronic pen main body unit. In addition to the video, a position indicator display control unit that controls to display a position indicator according to the instruction from the extension unit based on the signal received through the reception unit.
A position detection system characterized by being equipped with. A position detection system including an electronic pen, an information processing device including a position detection circuit for detecting a position indicated by the electronic pen, and a display unit.
The electronic pen
A first position indicator that sends a signal to the position detection sensor,
Control unit and
The first connector part, which has a concave structure, and
A tubular portion on which the first connector portion is formed, a power supply portion that can be charged from an external power source through the first connector portion, and a power supply unit.
With the wireless communication department
With the electronic pen body that has
A second position indicating unit provided with a semiconductor laser to indicate a position in a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor and outputs a laser beam, and a second position indicating unit.
A third position indicator that is provided with a gyro sensor to indicate the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor and outputs angular velocity data, and
An extension operation unit that is provided so as to be operated in a direction that intersects the axial direction and accepts operations by the user, and an extension operation unit.
A second connector part with a convex part and
An extension portion having a wall-shaped portion surrounding the second connector portion and
An operation unit that is provided so as to be operated in a direction that intersects the axial direction and accepts operations by the user,
With
The electronic pen main body portion and the expansion portion are detachable through the first connector portion and the second connector portion.
When the first connector portion and the second connector portion are connected, the tubular portion and the wall-shaped portion are fitted to form the first connector portion and the second connector portion. Cover and protect
When the electronic pen main body and the expansion are connected, power is supplied from the power supply of the electronic pen main body to the expansion, and between the electronic pen main body and the expansion. Data can be exchanged,
The control unit of the electronic pen main body monitors at least one of the voltage, current, and remaining amount of the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, and the power supply unit functions as an electronic pen of the electronic pen main body. If it is determined that the tablet is not in a maintainable state for a predetermined time, the power supply to the expansion unit is controlled so as not to be supplied.
The control unit of the electronic pen main body is switched so that the third position indicating unit functions by operating the operation unit, and the expansion unit operation unit may be operated. When the power is supplied from the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, the instruction from the third position indicating unit is received and transmitted through the wireless communication unit of the electronic pen main body. Control and
The information processing device
A display control unit that controls to display information at a position on the display screen of the display unit corresponding to the position indicated by the electronic pen detected through the position detection circuit.
The instruction from the third position indicating unit of the expansion unit is displayed on the display screen of the receiving unit and the display unit that receives the signal transmitted from the wireless communication unit of the electronic pen main body unit. In addition to the video, a position indicator display control unit that controls to display a position indicator according to the instruction from the extension unit based on the signal received through the reception unit.
A position detection system characterized by being equipped with. The position detection system according to claim 7 or 8.
The position indicator display control unit of the information processing device displays the position indicator at a position corresponding to the operation of the expansion unit in the display screen with a predetermined position on the display screen of the display unit as a reference position. A position detection system characterized by that. The position detection system according to claim 9.
A position detection system characterized in that a predetermined position of a display screen of the display unit is a predetermined specific screen position. The position detection system according to claim 9.
A position detection system characterized in that a predetermined position on the display screen of the display unit is a position where the position indicated by the electronic pen disappears in the position detection circuit. An information processing device provided with an electronic pen and a position detection circuit for detecting a position instructed by the electronic pen, and an image information provided by the information processing device so as to display an image corresponding to the image information. A position detection system consisting of a video display device for processing.
The electronic pen
A first position indicator that sends a signal to the position detection sensor,
Control unit and
The first connector part and
A power supply unit that can be charged from an external power supply through the first connector unit,
With the wireless communication department
With the electronic pen body that has
A second position indicating unit provided with a semiconductor laser to indicate a position in a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor and outputs a laser beam, and a second position indicating unit.
A third position indicator that is provided with a gyro sensor to indicate the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor and outputs angular velocity data, and
An extension operation unit that is provided so as to be operated in a direction that intersects the axial direction and accepts operations by the user, and an extension operation unit.
An extension with a second connector and
An operation unit that is provided so as to be operated in a direction that intersects the axial direction and accepts operations by the user,
With
The electronic pen main body portion and the expansion portion are detachable through the first connector portion and the second connector portion.
When the electronic pen main body and the expansion are connected, power is supplied from the power supply of the electronic pen main body to the expansion, and between the electronic pen main body and the expansion. Data can be exchanged,
The control unit of the electronic pen main body monitors at least one of the voltage, current, and remaining amount of the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, and the power supply unit functions as an electronic pen of the electronic pen main body. If it is determined that the tablet is not in a maintainable state for a predetermined time, the power supply to the expansion unit is controlled so as not to be supplied.
The control unit of the electronic pen main body is switched so that the third position indicating unit functions by operating the operation unit, and the expansion unit operation unit may be operated. When the power is supplied from the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, the instruction from the third position indicating unit is received and transmitted through the wireless communication unit of the electronic pen main body. Control and
The information processing device
A display control unit that forms video information so as to display information at a position on a predetermined display screen corresponding to a position indicated by the electronic pen detected through the position detection circuit and supplies the video information to the video display device.
A receiving unit that receives a signal transmitted from the wireless communication unit of the electronic pen main body unit, which is the instruction from the third position indicating unit of the expansion unit.
In addition to the image displayed on the predetermined display screen, an image in which a position indicator corresponding to the instruction from the extension unit is displayed based on the signal received through the receiving unit. A position indicator display control unit that forms information and supplies it to the video display device,
The video display device is equipped with
A position detection system including a display processing means that receives video information from the information processing device and processes the video according to the video information so as to display it on a predetermined display screen. An information processing device provided with an electronic pen and a position detection circuit for detecting a position instructed by the electronic pen, and an image information provided by the information processing device so as to display an image corresponding to the image information. A position detection system consisting of a video display device for processing.
The electronic pen
A first position indicator that sends a signal to the position detection sensor,
Control unit and
The first connector part, which has a concave structure, and
A tubular portion on which the first connector portion is formed, a power supply portion that can be charged from an external power source through the first connector portion, and a power supply unit.
With the wireless communication department
With the electronic pen body that has
A second position indicating unit provided with a semiconductor laser to indicate a position in a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor and outputs a laser beam, and a second position indicating unit.
A third position indicator that is provided with a gyro sensor to indicate the position of a predetermined area different from the input area of the position detection sensor and outputs angular velocity data, and
An extension operation unit that is provided so as to be operated in a direction that intersects the axial direction and accepts operations by the user, and an extension operation unit.
A second connector part with a convex part and
An extension portion having a wall-shaped portion surrounding the second connector portion and
An operation unit that is provided so as to be operated in a direction that intersects the axial direction and accepts operations by the user,
With
The electronic pen main body portion and the expansion portion are detachable through the first connector portion and the second connector portion.
When the first connector portion and the second connector portion are connected, the tubular portion and the wall-shaped portion are fitted to form the first connector portion and the second connector portion. Cover and protect
When the electronic pen main body and the expansion are connected, power is supplied from the power supply of the electronic pen main body to the expansion, and between the electronic pen main body and the expansion. Data can be exchanged,
The control unit of the electronic pen main body monitors at least one of the voltage, current, and remaining amount of the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, and the power supply unit functions as an electronic pen of the electronic pen main body. If it is determined that the tablet is not in a maintainable state for a predetermined time, the power supply to the expansion unit is controlled so as not to be supplied.
The control unit of the electronic pen main body is switched so that the third position indicating unit functions by operating the operation unit, and the expansion unit operation unit may be operated. When the power is supplied from the power supply unit of the electronic pen main body, the instruction from the third position indicating unit is received and transmitted through the wireless communication unit of the electronic pen main body. Control and
The information processing device
A display control unit that forms video information so as to display information at a position on a predetermined display screen corresponding to a position indicated by the electronic pen detected through the position detection circuit and supplies the video information to the video display device.
A receiving unit that receives a signal transmitted from the wireless communication unit of the electronic pen main body unit, which is the instruction from the third position indicating unit of the expansion unit.
In addition to the image displayed on the predetermined display screen, an image in which a position indicator corresponding to the instruction from the extension unit is displayed based on the signal received through the receiving unit. A position indicator display control unit that forms information and supplies it to the video display device,
The video display device is equipped with
A position detection system including a display processing means that receives video information from the information processing device and processes the video according to the video information so as to display it on a predetermined display screen.

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